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Nimbus Imperatoria Laurentia
"Hymns to the Omnissiah reverberate through time and space. Of a great wonder, they tell, where the holy Will of the Machine God became manifest. Laurentia, O Laurentia, lesser of the iron rings, Tiara to the Omnissiah's Crown." - ode of the Sacrum Glava, verse 2912 Associated pages * Astartes of the Hallowed Glaive * Blood Brethren of Laurentia Upon the Nimbus Imperatoria Laurentia lies enshrined the new domain of the Hallowed Glaive, gifted to them by the Forge World Cambria in return for their timely aid in the Surge of Thetys and the Siege of Trantor. It is one of the three Triumvirate Worlds of Subsector Cambria. The great work of the Omnissiah lies at the heart of Glaive's Reach, the chief domain of the Astartes of the Hallowed Glaive. Notable Regions The artificial world Laurentia is a ring adorned with eight major spires. Four rise to its center, four outward to the void. Each of them is a monumental hive and between them lie the lands of an entire continent, recreated in the image of the lost homeworld of the Hallowed Glaive. The Ring On the hallowed ring of Laurentia is recreated much of the lost homeworld's largest continent. The forlorn memories of the Hallowed Glaive are brought back to life in these lands inhabited by flora and fauna reimagined. The seasons of wrath and respite sweep these lands, tearing them down and letting them blossom anew in an endless cycle of decay and recreation. Throughout the ring there stand cities and hives, besieged in turn by beasts and fire. There, the men of Laurentia's kin dwell, pursuing lives of service either in blood, steel or scripture. They endure the hardships of life on the ring to preserve it and its knowledge and to gain from the land what they can in crops, trophies, and legends to tell. Far from them, in wilderness and ruins, those who would be initiates make their lives, cast out into the wild to be measured by the forces of the God-Emperor and Omnissiah. Those who manage to return chose either one of the three paths for mastery, or to make an attempt at ascending the Spire of Creation once more, becoming brothers of the Hallowed Glaive. To all mortals who dwell there, whether they ascend or not, the Ring is their first home in life, where they spend their days before returning to one spire or another. It is a place of trial and test, but also of fond memories bound to a lost home far among the stars. Inner Spires Fortress Monastery Atop the highest peak of all inner spires resides the Fortress Monastery of the Hallowed Glaive, the seat of the chapter master and sire of this world, who has his halls clad in brass and crimson tiles. Banners of the Glaive flow hundreds of meters from the innumerable towers of this fortress, clad in battlements and starship batteries. It is here where the Astartes of the Hallowed Glaive spend rare times at home, tending to their mastery of skills and fortune, prayer and training for battle. All of Laurentia is their arena, but the most prized form of battle, championship and games of war among the battle brothers, are held solely within the walls of this spire. The only mortals to ever behold the inside of the Fortress monastery are those chosen by battle brothers personally. Often times, such a choice is made in battles and wars on distant worlds, and so most off-worlders living upon Laurentia outside the merchant quarters are those within the hallowed halls. To be chosen as a servant to the Astartes is the highest honor to Laurentia's kin, short of becoming an initiate and succeeding. High City Most of Laurentia's kin live out their lives within the confines of the High City, never leaving its endless habstacks and terraces, administratum halls and pleasure arenas. The largest hive of Laurentia is a world of its own, a massive rust-red monolith overgrown with additional buildings, and battlements. Set upon a world of Astartes, the High City has no nobility, no festering aristocracy, as all power lies with the warrior-angels of the Imperium. Thus the highest spires belong to trading and merchant quarters, those amassing wealth not through birthright but merit of their own. Their palaces and kontors reach far into the main hive, where the general populace lives on day by day. Their lives are devoted to serve the Chapter and to honor its deeds. Great displays of worship adorn every level of the hive and, by order of the Chapter and the Mechanicus alike, none is allowed to fall to decay. As on every world, the least worthy and undesirables gather within the lowest portions of the hive, where the spire fuses with the mighty ring. Yet upon Laurentia, the evil of society is not allowed to fester, for the change of seasons brings fire and bestial invasions, which overflow into the hive and cleanse it from any heretical scum. Only the hardiest and most intelligent of the lowest class survive, and those are drafted into the Laurentian Blood Brethren, which have their seat at the Castellum just below, on the outer spire of the same name. Manufactorum Outside of the Ringworld Cambria, the Manufactorum Laurentia is one of the three greatest forges of all of Sector Gondwana. It is a monument and temple to the trinity technis, the Omnissiah, Machine God and the motive force. Within its countless layers of fabricator halls and industrial hives, the unique weapons of Astartes are created, and all components to maintain the World Laurentia itself. Besides the High City, the Manufactorum is the greatest center of population upon this world, inhabited mostly by the lower classes. Closely administered by the Forge World Cambria, the Manufactorum is held to a high standard for sakes of efficiency. To this end, and this end only, contaminations and death tolls among the general workers are kept relatively low. Beyond its immediate purpose to create, the Manufactorum Laurentia is a center of governance to distant Forge World Cambria. The Will of the Omnissiah is spoken aloud by the High Magos of this spire, and he is one of few souls in the Imperium to have an Astartes Chapter at his command. Spire of Creation White fire dances high atop the spire of creation, little but a faint glimmer of the dragon flame which once consumed the homeworld of the Hallowed Glaive. There it burns without end, as the flame from which are born all Astartes and Mortals of Laurentia's kin. The pinnacle of this spire is sealed from any mortal soul, tended to only by the machine spirits of Laurentia and the highest members of the Astartes chapter, who oversee the raising of new generations and the initiation of new battle brothers. There lie the breeding sarcophagi of Laurentia's kin and the chambers of initiation, where those deemed worthy ascend to the ranks of the Hallowed Glaive, Angels of the God-Emperor of Mankind. The remainder of the spire is a rust-red labyrinth of test and trial for those initiates seeking to ascend, an unending maze of mortal danger and temptation. Those souls who try to ascend and fail will become part of this labyrinth, haunting its chambers ever more as parts of deadly war-machines, slaughter hordes or servitor legions maintaining the spire. At the roots of this spire lie the most valued treasures of all of Laurentia. Those are all remains of the old world, the material from which the mortals of Laurentia's kin are spawned and the geneseed enshrined as the future of the chapter. Outer Spires Tomb of the Glaive In crypts deep below the Fortress Monastery, at the heart of its lower, outer spire, lie the only physical remnants of the old world safe for genetic remnants and the gene-seed of the chapter. Those are the splinters of a burning world, columns of the Glaive's first fortress and, valued above all else, the Hallowed Glaive itself, the holy weapon with which the Sundering Drake was to be slain. The honor of the kill was stolen by the Inquisition's fire and it is said the Glaive still thirsts for the blood of the monstrosity, despite its apparent death many centuries ago. Some, perhaps many, of the chapter believe its burning fire to be a sign of prophecy: As long as the Hallowed Glaive still thirsts, the Sundering Drake is not truly defeated. One day, it will return, and a new champion will claim the weapon as his own and strike down the beast once and for all. Castellum Though not all of Laurentia's kin ascend to become Astartes, war and honor are in their blood. Thus many are drawn to endure hardships and battle upon the ring, so they may be drafted and chosen to serve in the ranks of Laurentian Blood Brethren. The Castellum of the Laurentian Blood Brethren is built for the sole purpose to forge mortal souls into a force worthy to accompany Astartes. Its lower sections are a labyrinth of trial, much akin to that to be endured by initiates. But the mortals of Laurentia do not face such threats alone but must endure them in groups, forming bonds which will hold throughout wars until death. As they prove themselves, recruits ascend outward, toward the stars and away from the ring they once called home. From battling among each other and the beasts of their home, they progress to learn procedure and discipline, facing ever more alien threats. Lining the trials are facilities of the Mechanicus, where those soldiers worthy will be augmented according to their specialization and skill. Thus, by the end of the spire, the Laurentian Chosen are ready for war and will board crusade vessels sent throughout the sector and even the Imperium. Port Laurentia Those initiates who reach the top of the Spire of Creation and begin their process of becoming one of the Hallowed Glaive, depart from the lonely Port Laurentia, to travel in the company of battle brothers and prove themselves in battle beyond the world they call their home. To this end, the highest port of this spire is purely ceremonial, a massive pier lined with ancient ships and guardian statues greeting the young souls among them. Below this highest port and purpose, Port Laurentia serves as the main anchorage for the Astartes Fleet and the countless merchant vessels coming and going for the trade routes of Glaive's Reach and the Subsector Cambria. Transportation systems, kontors, and facilities make up most of the massive spire, entwined with living quarters of dockworkers and workshops for servitors and components. Dockyards are attached to Port Laurentia along the ring, and from there, an endless stream of escorts, transports, scout vessels, and civilian ships makes their way into the void. Dragon Bestiarium The Dragon Bestiarium is the cruelest place of all of Laurentia, devout to the remembrance of the chapter's dark past, the fate of their first Homeworld and their debt to the Adeptus Mechanicus. From here, the beasts and fire are unleashed, which consume the Ring of Laurentia with the turn of seasons. The fire is brought upon by gargantuan drakes and war machines created by the Mechanicus Cult Cambria in the horrific image of the ancient enemy which once overthrew the first Homeworld of the Hallowed Glaive. These beasts, reimagining a horror deemed worthy to receive an exterminatus by the Inquisition, serve also to test the abilities of the Astartes and the Skitarii Legiones of Cambria against a foe no training nor cogitator simulation could account for. The Bestiarium is a monument and, more importantly, a bulwark against oblivion. To the Hallowed Glaive and Laurentia's kin, it represents all the threats and fates which are forgotten in the vast Imperium. It stands not for the arch-enemy of the Imperium at large or the greatest heresy of forgotten ages. It stands for the countless multitude, the legion of unnamed and unknown threats lingering in a galaxy too large to ever grasp them all. Laurentia's Kin Upon Nimbus Laurentia, men are wrought from mended flesh and steel. Through the Omnissiahs blessing of the motive force, and the Emperor's breath of life, they are awoken in sacred vaults atop the high Spire of Creation. Such is the nature of Laurentia's kin, grown from the entombed remnants of the populace which died alongside the first homeworld of the Hallowed Glaive: From their very first breath, their lives are owed to the wonders of the Omnissiah, without which their line of humanity would long have been extinct. Laurentia's Trinity: Blood, Steel, and Scripture Life upon Nimbus Imperatoria Laurentia is governed by service to the chapter and through it, worship of the God-Imperator and the Omnissiah. Such service is given threefold: Through Blood, Steel, and Scripture. Service in blood is the path of war, fighting the heretic and the beast and all which stands against the Imperium. Service in steel is the path of the forge; maintaining and producing all creations of the Omnissiah, from the very world of Laurentia itself down to the single bolter round. Service in scripture is the path of knowledge and the past. It is held highest of all, for both man and machine were greater in the old days when the Emperor walked among the stars. "Service is perpetual. Forever must books be re-written, lest their knowledge falls to oblivion. Forever must steel be forged, lest the works of humanity fall and decay. Forever must blood be spilled, lest the enemies will conquer all which humanity learned and forged." - The Litany of Laurentia, v. 329132 Civilization to serve the Chapter All of Laurentina's kin exists for a singular purpose: To serve the Chapter and its world. Much in the image of the Forge Worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus, this civilization is wholly constructed and designed like an all-encompassing holistic machine. For each and every task exists a part in this machinery. Vast caravans of engineseers and priests of Cambria wander and maintain the ring, joined by legions of workers of Laurentia's kin. Manufactorum hives and forges provide the arms and ammunition for their chapter. Scribes and librarians archive the knowledge, chroniclers add upon it and archeologists scour the old archives for lost knowledge. All in an effort to serve the machinations of the Omnissiah, for in His shadow, all the world of Laurentia exists. Recreation of a lost world When it was gifted to the Hallowed Glaive, Laurentia was a raw world, ready to be forged and sculpted into any jewel the Astartes wished. Remembering well the loss of their world before the exile, they brought to the Priests of Cambria all of what they had saved: Few samples of soil, scant survivors, frozen bodies and relics of all kinds. From this – and the memories of the eldest of the chapter – the Techpriests constructed a world exactly likened to the lost realm. Only one exception was made: Seasons of Laurentia The change of seasons retells not only the chapters past, but is rite dedicated to the Imperium and its ever-changing tides of lost and reconquered worlds. Wrath During the season of Wrath, the world of Laurentia comes to experience the destruction and fire as it was spelled upon the first Homeworld of the Hallowed Glaive. During this time, all which was grown and living must fight for survival and the surface is reduced to a wasteland. The cities of Laurentia's kin close their gates and many aspirants struggle outside for survival in the wild. Great beasts wander the wastes in battle, kings of doom, before all is swept away by raging fire. Respite When the time of Wrath recedes, in its place Laurentia grows once again to the beauty it once held and beyond. In the season of respite, Laurentia is a deadly paradise, teeming with wondrous life holding as much deadly poison as color and beauty. Thick jungles and forests cover the ring, blue streams fill the seas and are overflowing with life. This too, the aspirants must navigate and learn to see for what they fight. Temple of the Omnissiah As their new homeworld is of the Omnissiah's making, the Astartes of the Hallowed Glaive are eternally bound to the Tech-Priesthood of Cambria and longstanding allies to them. While this unusual allegiance is looked down upon by others of their kind, the Hallowed Glaives believe themselves closer to the Emperor's Truth. Their favor with the Machine Cult endows them with most formidable weapons of war and their tech-marines are known to commune closely with the machine spirits, allowing them to open gates and unveil secrets closed and lost to other chapters. History Creation by Cambria To create worlds in the image of the ancient wonders of mankind is among the goals of the Mechanicus Priesthood of Forge World Cambria. Ever since their coming to the Ringworld ten millennia ago, the priests of Cambria have sought not only to rediscover the secrets of the Omnissiah's monument, but also to re-learn the art of its creation, striving for the greatness of old. Though the wonders of the elder days stand yet unmatched in their greatness among the stars, the efforts of the Mechanicum were not in vain. Through millennia of techno-archeology, the Techpriests grew learned in the art of crafting worlds from brass and iron, making isles of life and light in the void where there were none. What greater service could there be to the Imperium, than not only to conquer worlds in the Emperor's name, but build a billion more worlds anew, to praise the blessings of the Omnissiah? Thus, the Nimbus Imperatoria Laurentia was built, a new wonder in the image of the old, smaller, though still gargantuan in size. Gift to the Chapter The creation of an artificial world, such as Laurentia, is a sacred task of worship to the servants of the Omnissiah. His greatest blessings are required to assuade the motive force to give life to a machine of such vast dimensions, and the devotion of every working soul lends its strength to the final design. Thus, considerable weight lies with the decision of Forge World Cambria to gift such a world to Astartes in Exile, the Hallowed Glaive. Perpetual devotion and service to the Omnissiah are implicit upon a world so obviously sustained by His grace. The devotion of an Astartes Chapter to the service of a Forge World was the price of the Nimbus Laurentia, and only as long as the price is paid, will the world sustain itself. Recreation of a lost world Once the gift of millennia was made to the Astartes of the Hallowed Glaive, the Tech Priests of Cambria set out to mold the habitable inner surface of the Ring in the image of the lost Homeworld of the Hallowed Glaive. Compared to the titanic task to mend a world in the void, the shaping of its landmasses and mountains, lakes and seas were mere cosmetic touches, made with ease by the techno magi of the Terraformers belonging to Cambria. One of the Triumvirate Nimbus Laurentia, a world of some renown, in any case, was destined for greatness when Astartes set foot on its surface. A world wholly devout to the Omnissiah, settled by the Angels of the Emperor - a match such as this was bound to one great fate and thus quickly accepted in the ranks of highest assets Sector Gondwana had to offer. From such a position of strength, Laurentia for some time stood a good chance at becoming the new center of trade, commerce, and culture in Subsector Cambria, new capital to the wider region. All it required was a strong voice, one which awoke in the Chapter Master of the Hallowed Glaive, Seyfrid "the Hürnen" of Xanta IV, who is said to have stormed the court of Trantor single handidly and made his voice heard by his own accord. Category:Browse Category:Hallowed Glaive Category:Planets Category:Subsector Cambria